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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wichita St. 80, Loyola-Chicago 54
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Where: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Officials: # Jeff Malham, # Gerry Pollard, # Larry Spaulding
Attendance: 10506

Matching up with Wichita State's starting lineup is tough enough for Missouri Valley Conference opponents.

But when the Shockers go to their bench, the real problems begin for their foes.

Loyola (Ill.) was the latest team to find out the hard way Wednesday night as No. 22 Wichita State got 39 points from reserves in an 80-54 rout at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.

In winning their 10th straight game, the Shockers (15-5, 9-0) got offense from seven substitutes, including 11 points from forward Rashard Kelly. Freshman forward Markis McDuffie added eight points and four assists, while guard Connor Frankamp added nine points.

"We've got some talented kids," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said of his bench. "Rashard Kelly had a big game. McDuffie made some incredible plays off the bounce and Connor was shooting it well."

Nine players played at least 11 minutes, none more than guard Ron Baker's 28, as the Shockers wore down and wore out the Ramblers (9-12, 2-7) with fresh bodies. They started the game with a 24-8 spurt, then wiped out Loyola with a 23-4 run after the visitors drew within 47-36 on a layup by backup guard Jeff White with 14:04 remaining.

Reserves made key plays in both stretches. Known more as a pure shooter, Frankamp attacked the bucket, attracting a foul and sinking two free throws to finish the first half spurt. McDuffie upped the first half lead to 36-17 with a layup and two foul shots.

In the second half, backup forward Rauno Nurger's two free throws at the 13:15 mark initiated the game-sealing run. McDuffie stuck a jumper and Frankamp drilled a 3 for a 56-36 advantage with 11:04 remaining.

Kelly put an exclamation point on the second half spurt, emphatically slamming a lob pass from point guard Fred VanVleet with eight minutes left to make it 66-40 and electrify the sellout crowd of 10,506.

"It was a great pass," Kelly said of VanVleet's eighth assist. "He made it easy for me. He put it in the right spot. The more we do it, the more exciting the game becomes."

Marshall was most enthused about his team's ability to pass for profit. Wichita State drew 22 assists off 28 field goals, helping it shoot 53.8 percent from the floor. Five players bagged multiple assists.

"I thought we were overpassing in the first half a little bit," Marshall said. "We had some open shots and passed it into a maybe-open shot. But I have to be pleased with the guys' unselfishness."

The Shockers also mixed in their normally tough defense, limiting the Ramblers to 39.2 percent shooting from the field and finishing off most defensive possessions with a rebound. Grabbing more than three-fourths of available rebounds off Loyola misses, Wichita State earned a 40-30 advantage off the boards.

Guard Earl Peterson and backup forward Montel James each scored 11 points for the Ramblers, which never led and couldn't convert a field goal until more than five minutes of the first half elapsed.

Forward Shaquille Morris quietly tallied a game-high 12 points for the Shockers, which got scoring from 12 players. They face perhaps their toughest conference tests in the next two games, visiting 17-4 Evansville Sunday before hosting 18-3 Southern Illinois on Feb. 3.

But if Wednesday night is any indication, Wichita State's plethora of talented players who don't start games are poised to make a difference.

"It's more about us personally as individuals," Kelly said. "Our focus is not our opponent, it's us. We try to build every day."

NOTES: Loyola entered the game averaging a turnover on 20.1 percent of its possessions. ... Wichita State extended its home winning streak to 42 games, the fourth longest in Missouri Valley Conference history. Its last home defeat was in February of 2013 to Evansville. ... Shockers G Fred VanVleet needs just one steal to become the second player in program history with 200.
Top Game Performances
 
Loyola-Chicago   Wichita St.
Montel James 11 Scoring Shaquille Morris 12
Milton Doyle 4 Assists Fred VanVleet 8
Donte Ingram 7 Rebounds Ron Baker 7
Donte Ingram 3 Free Throws Made Rauno Nurger 3
Jeff White 2 Steals Ron Baker 6
Donte Ingram 1 Blocks Shaquille Morris 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Loyola-Chicago 54 39.2 4-12 10-17 7 24 1 6 14
Wichita St. 80 53.8 7-20 17-28 22 37 7 9 10